CBI Blogs

At the end of Shabbat services last week, Sarah Avner shared a short teach with the community about the Jewish value our Religious School students are focusing on this month. She explained that we introduce our students to a different Jewish value every month, so they could understand more than the stories and holidays in Judaism, but also the morality in which we are meant to live our lives. 

This month, the students are learning about Rachamim. While some may translate this word as “mercy,” Carly Cera (CBI’s Director of Youth Education and Engagement) described Rachamim as “compassion.” More specifically, she taught our students that in Judaism we engage in caring compassionately, that we have empathy for those we encounter. 

She furthered the conversation by discussing what it means to have compassion for another, especially when we don’t agree with that person, even more so when we struggle to get along with them. I thought about the value of Rachamim quite a bit this week. On Wednesday, I was honored to offer the Texas State Senate Invocation for the third time in my tenure at CBI. When providing this opening prayer, we are given clear instructions to ensure our remarks remain apolitical and as religiously inclusive as possible. 

During my invocation, I quoted Rabbi Simeon ben Zoma from Pirkei Avot. I shortened the original quote to the following: “Who is the wise one? The person who learns from all people… Who is honored? The person who honors the created beings.” I included this quote because this Legislative Session has been particularly fraught. Elected officials who were once friends are barely able to look one another in the eye. There is a great divide between the political parties, one that certainly existed previously, but feels more tenuous and fragile this year. 

After my invocation, one senator came over to thank me for my prayer. She said it was a beautiful reminder that we have an obligation to learn from one another, to have compassion for her colleagues, even when it’s particularly hard, especially this session. She continued, hoping that her colleagues would hear me the same way she did. I thanked her for the work she has been doing and ensured that I, one of her constituents, could clearly see how much passion and effort she was putting into this session. 

This encounter reminded me of the way we teach our students about empathy and treating others with caring compassion. We tell them from a young age how important it is to find new ways to learn from another person, even when that person sees life differently. We discuss ways to find compassion for those who disagree with our opinion and perhaps more significantly, how to find compassion when that person is causing you to be upset. 

Both the lesson about Rachamim with our students and my experience with the Texas State Senate exemplified that despite our differences, and in spite of our divisions, we can find ways to connect with others. We can find ways to move forward. We can find ways to work together to build a better world. We can create a more peaceful and equal humanity, if we can listen to one another.

I hope you continue to find Rachamim for those in your life, those who need a little extra empathy and those with whom you hope to work. If we each approach others with caring compassion, perhaps we’ll truly establish a more loving and kind world for all.